News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-03-17
TORTURED AND ROBBED.
How an Old Man Suffered to Save His
Hidden Wealth.

John Bortmas, ages 20 years, lives
alone in a small house in Oakland Town.
ship, Butler county, Pa. His neighbors
have known for a long time that he kept
several hundred dollars secreted in his
house, but he would never consent to
| place it in a place of greater safety.
! Friday night there was large party at
| W. j. HutchinsOn's, in Oakland, and all
of Bortmass neighbors were in attend
ance. Between eight and nine o'clock
in the evening, as Bortmas was getting
ready to go to bed, there came loud
knock at his door. He looked out of
window and saw three men standing on
the step. They demanded entrance,
and Bortmas got his shotgun and fired
it out of the window, thinking to
fri yhten them away. The men broke
down the door, however, and rushing
in knocked the old man down and
bound him. They ordered him to tell
them where his money was. He refused.
They put rope around his neck and
throwing it over the top of an open
door pulled him clear off the floor.
After holding him there a couple Of
seconds they lowered him and repeated
their demands. Bortmas still refused,
and although they hanged him in that
way three times he stubbornly tept the
secret of his money, although he was
almost dead after the third hanging.
The men restored him, and then one
of them drew long bladed knife from
his pocket, and seizing Bortmas by the
hair, jerked his head back and placed
the edge of the blade at his throat, with
Tho thraot bo did mot ravnaI the
hiding place of his money at once hi6
throat would be cut from ear to ear.
Bortmas replied that they might cut his
throat if they wanted 30, but that he
would not give up his money. Failing
to terrorize the old man into revealing
his secret in that way, the men took the
fire shovel and, hearing it with live
Goals from the CRATE, one of them held
it to the soles of the old mans feet,
while the others sat on his legs and pre-
vented him from drawing his feet away
from the heat. This torture Bortmas
endure for time but it was too terrible
for resistance, and he at last begged for
mercy and directed the robbers to the
hiding place of his treasure. They found
1912, one third of which was in gold.
They did not believe that this was all
the money that Bortmas had, and re-
sorted to the fire torture again to force
him to tell where he had more hidden.
In spite of the terrible ordeal Bortmas
protested that they had found all of his
money, and the robbers finally ceased
their attempts to get a larger sum Ty-
ing the old man to bedpost, the three
men went into the kitchen, where they
deliberately cooked themselves a hearty
supper and ate it at their leisure. 1t
was after ten o'clock when they went
away, leaving Bortmas tied to the bed
post. He remained in that position
until two o'clock, when he heard the
voices of sone of his neighbors, who
were returning from the party. He
cried for help, his cries were heard, and
the old ma was released from his bonds.
Although the terrible experiences of the
night were sufficient to PROSTATE a
younger and stronger man than Bortmas,
his sufferings did not seem to affect him.
The loss of his money was all that he
thought Of
''But they didn't get it ALL" he cried,
a few minutes after being released, and
stepping to board in the floor, not
three feet from where he had denied
having any more money, under the tor
ture of the live Goals. he lifted it up,
and took out from under it 81, ,000 in
bank bills.
The robbers were heavily masked, and
Bortmas could not recognize their voices.
1t is believed that they were men who
live in the vicinity.